Wife Kills Member of ’79 Final Four Team Over Child Porn

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A member of the University of Pennsylvania‘s 1979 Final Four team was fatally stabbed by his wife, who told police she had caught him looking at child pornography, according to court documents.

Matthew White was found stabbed in the neck around 12:45 p.m. Monday in bed at his home, police said, and was pronounced dead a short time later. An officer responding to the home for a report of a stabbing found White’s wife, Maria Rey Garcia-Pellon, as she pulled into the driveway, authorities said. As she was being taken into custody, according to a police affidavit, she said, “I caught him looking at pornography, young girls. I love kids. I had to do it.”

White was the starting center on the Penn team that went to the 1979 semifinals before losing 101-67 to eventual national champion Michigan State, led by Magic Johnson. White went on to be drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers and also played in Europe.

Garcia-Pellon, 52, was in custody, and a telephone message left at her home was not immediately returned. It could not immediately be determined if she had an attorney.

Investigators said they interviewed a friend of Garcia-Pellon, who told them she had come to her house Monday afternoon and said she had stabbed her 53-year-old husband after catching him viewing pornography — possibly child pornography — on the computer. The friend called police.

While being interviewed by police, authorities said, Garcia-Pellon said that between midnight and 1 a.m. Monday she went to the kitchen, had a glass of water and grabbed two knives before returning to the couple’s bedroom and concealing the knives under her side of the bed.